Abber, who grew up in Quincy, says, “So many things run through my mind when I’m running but I mostly I think about what I’m training for and why. Like last year, I am running Boston in honor of Matt Brown of Norwood. Last January, Matt suffered a spinal cord injury while playing in his high school hockey game. Both my children play hockey, so I am just running for him as a hockey mom.”

Bethany Bartlett, lawyer, of Hull

Bartlett is running the 115th Boston Marathon on Tedy’s Team, led by former New England Patriots linebacker and a stroke survivor, Tedy Bruschi. She is running in memory of her father, Vinny Bartlett, and her fundraising goal is $5,000 for the American Stroke Association. Bartlett is running in her third Boston Marathon, but the first time for Tedy’s Team. Her father, whom she called “Pops,” suffered a stroke three years ago and over a three-day period experienced several more until he died. Although it was very difficult for her family, she felt being a member of Tedy’s Team was the best way to honor her father’s memory and his advice, “Go for it; you will never get there if you don’t try.”

“The American Stroke Association is near and dear to my heart,” Bartlett said. “I am honored to raise funds for continued research and to educate others on the signs and symptoms of stroke – every second counts when trying to save a loved one.”

Julie Brennan, 27, lawyer, of Hingham

Brennan is running the Boston Marathon for the first time this year. She is part of Tedy’s Team, a group of runners working with Tedy Bruschi to raise money for the American Stroke Association. “I’m running in honor of my stroke hero, my grandmother Mary Lee Bernan, who suffered a stroke in 2004. She celebrated her 90th birthday this past summer and continues to marvel us all with her courage, strength and poise.”

Page 2 of 7 - Tessa Casey, 47, gluten-free chef, of Duxbury

“Every time I head out to run I think about how lucky I am to be able to plant one foot in front of the other. I am also fortunate to have a wonderful family and great running friends.” Casey, who enjoys a whole-wheat bagel with peanut butter before a run, is running the Boston Marathon for Children’s Hospital in Boston as part of the Miles for Miracles program. “My oldest son, Matt, has Down syndrome, autism and celiac disease and is seen at Children’s on a regular basis. They have always provided him with the highest quality care. I want to do my part to make sure that this continues not only for him but for all the patients at Children’s.”

Joanne Clark, of Scituate

Clark will be running her 24th Boston Marathon. She said she started running when she was 46 years old after her first husband succumbed to lung cancer.

“This woman and I began the 2006 Boston Marathon together, and everything was fine at the start. I followed this lady for the first 10 miles. She would pass me, and then I would pass her. Leading up to Mile 17, I could see someone on the side of the road. I stopped to investigate, and it was the woman I had been running with. I asked her if she was all right. She told me she had fallen in the street and a man had carried her over to the side of the road. I asked her, ‘What do you want to do?’ She said she wanted to finish, but she was worried about Heartbreak Hill. ‘Don’t worry about that now!’ I said. ‘Take my hand and let’s go!’

“When we made it to Heartbreak Hill at Mile 21, we met up with her boyfriend and her brother. It’s about 8:30 p.m. at this point, and we all held hands and walked to the finish line together. We all conquered the course that day.”

Gillis, a cancer survivor, credits much to Mass Eye and Ear and radiation and chemotherapy at Mass General. “I am deeply indebted to both hospitals for getting me through this ordeal. I wanted to do something to show my gratitude. During one of my trips to Mass General, I noticed they had a marathon team that raised money for their Children’s Cancer Center. For the past two years, I had run the marathon with the Mass Eye and Ear team and raised money for them. Because I have spent a lot of time at Mass General with the Radiation and Chemotherapy, I also wanted to help them. This year, I joined the Mass General Children Cancer Center marathon team One Step at a Time.”

Page 3 of 7 -
“My most memorable moment preparing for this Marathon was meeting my partner Chloe Paoletta. Chloe is a 13-year-old girl from Abington who is going through treatment for a malignant brain tumor. -

On Marathon Monday, I am looking forward to mile 20! At Mile 20, most of Heartbreak Hill will be behind me and I will see Chloe there. Seeing her and her beautiful smile will be enough to carry me through to the finish line.”

Joseph Gillis Jr. 48, computer analyst, of Bridgewater

Gillis’s must-do race each year is the East Bridgewater "Support Our Troops" Road Race. “A great cause, so in spring 2008 I thought the 5k would be a good test of my fitness. I had participated in a work 'biggest loser' contest, and lost some weight. Spent the next two days recovering, wondering how people can enjoy a 5k race. And thinking that people who run longer must be crazy.” Now, he’s onto his second Boston Marathon.

Vincent and Kimberly Greene,37 and 38, of Norton

Each raising $5,000 for Catholic Charities, the Greenes will be helping families get groceries, heating oil and more. “That keeps me going when my legs and spirit want to give up,” Kimberly, a stay-at-home mom, says. Her husband enjoys running to ’80s music – “You can’t beat ’80s cheese,” says Vincent, a lawyer. Kimberly, on the other hand: “Usually I just hear myself gasping for air, since I don’t like to run with any sort of accessories. But I do love the requisite Rocky theme that someone blares from their front lawn on every race route.”

Terrie Hayward, 41, owner of a small inn in the Caribbean

What inspires Hayward, formerly of Braintree, to run her third Boston Marathon this year? “My sister-in-law, Jen Shaw, of Braintree. She was diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, and I’m running Boston with Team MSAMS. Whenever I don’t feel like being out there I think of her doing all that she does without complaint. She is planning to run the final 5.2 miles with me this year. We are both psyched for this.”

“This year it’s about the children. I will also be taking in thoughts on growing up in Charlestown. I think of family and friends and listen to a little ‘old school music’ to bring up the great memories. But most of all I will be thinking of the children at Children’s Hospital and other charities I have run for because ... ‘I run for those who can’t.’” Jordan is running for Children’s Hospital in Boston this year. “I just learned recently that my older brother was treated at Children’s Hospital when he was a kid.” Jordan doesn’t have a must-do race each year, but is “leaning towards the Disney half marathon so I can get my grandchildren involved.”

Robert Kelson, 39, financial sales, of Canton

Granola bars, pizza and Pearl Jam Live in Cleveland may literally fuel his run, but his real inspiration is his boys, Ryan and Charlie. “I want to show them if you set a goal, work hard towards that goal, then, anything is possible. I made a commitment to run Boston by the time I turned 40 . . . this is my third attempt and last chance . . . ” Kelson is running for the House of Possibilities in North Easton, a respite home for families of children with special needs. “I had to raise $5,000 for them. I reached my goal - my two boys donated to the foundation and their donation put me over the top. To watch their reaction was priceless. They started clapping for me and patted me on the back. Their reaction made all of the January and February long runs through the cold and snow worth all of the pain. They are proud of me and it shows.”

Maureen Lamie, 47, hairstylist, of Quincy

Lamie, who’s run the marathon more than a dozen times, clearly finds peace in running. What does she think about while running? “Absolutely nothing ... the sound of my feet hitting the ground.” What inspires her to run? “... Have run all my life and found inspirations from all. Now I run for my mom. ... I’m running for the Run for the Memory team for The Alzheimer’s Association in my mom’s memory.”

Mike Leavitt, 25, marketing professional and student, of Brockton

Page 5 of 7 - “When training for a marathon, there are runs where you definitely start to talk to yourself. It gives me time to think with no distractions and do my best thinking when I run. As a grad student, I am also thinking of my school work to get some ideas to distract me from the mileage.” For the third year in a row, Leavitt will be running the Boston Marathon for Children's Hospital Boston.

Marie Matulonis, 44, registered nurse, of Abington

“My uncle, former Mayor Ray Flynn of Boston, has run 17 marathons and I told him my goal is to pass him and then maybe retire. My 10- and 8-year-old daughters are running 5Ks in under 30 minutes.”

Dennis McA’Nulty, 40, market research, of Roslindale

This former Milton resident finds a lot of inspiration in the marathon. “I am not inspired by the elite runners or those that could run the course twice by the time I finish one. I am in awe of them, but not inspired. I am inspired by those running in the memory of a loved one who has suffered in their life by battling a sickness and losing. I am inspired by those amputee runners that are running with a prosthetic. ... I am inspired to run by the fact that I CAN, knowing they will have more heart than I ever will.” When asked what he thinks about while running, he said, “Food. I think about where and what I am going to eat when I finish the run ... usually either buffalo chicken nachos, meat lover’s pizza, hot wings, chicken parm, or a cheeseburger ... or anything I saw on the most recent ‘Phantom Gourmet.’”

Judy McDonough, 46, life insurance underwriter, of Weymouth

“At times I’m out there running for two- or three-hour stretches, gives me a chance to think about my family, friends, goal setting, dreams and sometimes I even think, ‘Why am I doing this?’” McDonough, who is running for the South Boston Neighborhood House, had a great moment in last year’s run: “When the Citgo sign and finish line were nearing, I heard ‘One Moment in Time‘ by Whitney Houston and it moved me to tears and kept me going strong until the end.”

Among the things Murphy thinks about? Her late sister-in-law Kathy Murphy of Randolph. “I absolutely hate running but nothing is worse than watching someone you love deteriorate and eventually die of cancer. Except maybe dying of cancer. In fact, my sister-in-law’s last words ever spoken to me were, ‘There’s nothing worse than this.’ I hate running, but I hate cancer with a far greater passion and this is my motivation!”

Jennifer Pohl, 38, vice president, of East Bridgewater

“Twelve years ago I couldn't run a mile without huffing and puffing. Then I ran my first 5K two years later and haven't stopped.” Pohl is running for Children's Hospital Boston “in honor of my 17-month-old daughter who was born with a club foot. The doctors and staff there are amazing and we are so grateful to them for "fixing" our daughter's foot - she was walking at 10 months, 2 days. I want to show her and my son they can do anything they want as well as prove it to myself, and I want to repay Children's for everything they have done for my family.”

Lisa B. Reilly, 49, marketing manager, of Plympton

In her second Boston Marathon, Reilly thinks about her daughter Maggie when she runs. Celiac disease affects one in every 133 children and adults, yet 97 percent of people with it go undiagnosed. Maggie was one of the lucky ones; she was 31/2 years old when she was diagnosed. She is now a thriving 16-year-old. Reilly is running to benefit Children’s Hospital Boston as a member of Children’s Miles for Miracles Team. Her other must-do race each year? The Turkey Trot in Kingston.

Lauren Remmes, 25, business analyst, of Milton

Remmes is running as part of the New England Organ Bank’s Life New England Marathon Team. Her boyfriend, Ryan Delaney of Stow, is waiting for a kidney transplant. His mother will be his donor.

Sharon Tassini, 51, teacher, of Scituate

“The focus is the fundraising and Dana- Farber rather than the actual run. Last weekend, unknown to me, a group of kids (a few I have had in the past as a teacher) got together on the beautiful Sunday and had a lemonade stand focusing on raising funds for my run. On Monday morning two lovely girls walked into my classroom and gave me a plastic cup with 10 dollar bills, 28 quarters, 1 dime, 1 nickel and a penny for a total of $17.16. I still have it in the cup. Touched is only a small part of how this effort made me feel.”

Page 7 of 7 - Tassini teaches at Cushing Elementary School in Scituate. “My very good friend and co-teacher Stacey Sweeney has given me the insight as to the devastation that cancer can do to a family ... forever. Her niece, Maeve Collins, is treated at Floating Hospital and I personally run “forever in honor of Maeve.” Now almost 11 she is an amazing girl with an amazingly closely knit family.

“For Dana-Farber, I am running in memory of Kyle McCall, who lived in Ashland.”

Tracy Wilson, 41, lawyer, of Quincy

“I try not to think too much, which is one of the reasons I enjoy running. When you are running you tend to let go of the daily stress and focus on clearing your mind and getting to your destination.” Wilson is running as part of the Children’s Hospital Miles for Miracles Marathon Team. “I am running for 10-year-old Maureen Walsh of Braintree (formerly of Quincy). Although Maureen has had many struggles, Children’s Hospital treated her with compassionate staff and excellent care. Maureen is a very vibrant, active child, and she is involved many activities, including dancing, soccer, gymnastics and singing in the St. Ann’s Choir. I always look forward to seeing Maureen and her family at the Children’s cheering section at Mile 13. I have raised over $25,000 in the last three years for Children’s and expect to raise at least another $5,000 this year.”

Ed Woo, 31, investment professional, of Braintree

Woo, who grew up in Quincy and now lives in Braintree with his wife, Kendra, and daughter, Emma, will run his first official Boston Marathon this year. What does he think about while running? ”I think about my grandmother. She passed away last year and never had the chance to meet her great-granddaughter, Emma. I think about her struggles along with my parents’ adversities to come to the U.S. I think about how grateful I am and how I owe it to them to make something of myself.

“I think about my childhood friend Matthew McDonough (of Quincy). Matt passed away too young. Living life to its fullest is the best way for me to honor his memory.

“I think about the two people I’m running this marathon for, Colleen and Emma.”

He also thinks about his childhood friend Colleen Mitchell, who was diagnosed with cancer last year. “While she was going through a very long chemotherapy regimen, I felt angry and helpless. I needed to do something for her rather than a hug, a card or flowers. I can’t make the cancer go away but I can show her in a small way how amazing her strength is as it’s inspired me to run Boston for her.”